


An Unnecessary Freezing of Water

by elfin (crazylittleelf)



Category: Fringe
Genre: Cliche, Huddling For Warmth, Multi, Snowed In, porn!fail
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-11
Updated: 2013-03-11
Packaged: 2017-12-05 00:16:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/716686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazylittleelf/pseuds/elfin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lincoln and Olivia are trapped in a cliche.  I mean a snowstorm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Unnecessary Freezing of Water

"You're sure you're okay?"

"Yes. Really."

Olivia frowned at the snow that obscured her view. The SUV had come to a rest against a pine tree after bouncing inelegantly over the narrow ditch at the edge of the road. Possibly a boulder, too. She'd heard something crunch ominously before they'd stopped moving. She could see the front of the hood in glare of the headlights reflected back from the snow but not much past it. The inside of the SUV smelled of smoke and chemicals from the airbags. "Lincoln's going to have a pretty impressive black eye, but we're both okay. We can stay in the car and keep warm enough until it clears. The engine is still working even though we're not going anywhere."

"Winter playground that this is, I've got snowmobiles." Peter's voice sounded distant and staticky over the phone. "Once it clears I'll come get you."

"This isn't really how I pictured this weekend happening." Olivia waited a moment. "Peter?"

"Lost him again?" Lincoln was leaning over the backseat, digging around in their luggage.

Olivia looked down at the phone that was cheerfully flashing No Signal. She huffed out an annoyed sigh and turned the headlights off, leaving them in silence and darkness. She fumbled for her flashlight and aimed it into the backseat.

Lincoln smiled over his shoulder at her. "I guess this is what we get for wanting to get our paperwork filed before we left."

She snorted. "While lazy conmen are in cabins sipping whiskey by the fireplace."

He handed her gloves and a hat. "I think we can get the seats laid flat if we move the suitcases to the front seat. Without getting out of the car, I mean."

She nodded. "I am all about not getting out of the car right now." She stretched out her arms and made grabby motions with her hands. Lincoln passed their suitcases over to her, the little emergency kit, her backup weapons locked in their case. She piled them on the driver seat. 

Lincoln climbed into the back and said, "Okay, if you can reach the latches, I'll push the seat over." He tumbled forward as the seat gave, flattening it into position. He seat back on his knees and rubbed his hands together.

Olivia tucked her hands under her arms and leaned against the seat, looking into the flat area of the back of the SUV. "We can spread our clothes out, use our coats as blankets. Oh. There's one of those thermal blankets in the emergency kit. I've got a couple sweaters in my bag."

"Me too. We've got plenty of gas. We can run the car if it gets too cold. We'll be fine."

Olivia reached out for him, turning his face with one gloved hand. "How's your eye?"

"Sore, but I guess there's no shortage of ice, huh?"

"I've got some baggies in the glovebox. I'll make an ice pack for you if you want to dig out the clothing?"

"Sure."

The icy air when she opened the door made her wince. It swirled around the car, already drifting snow in impressive piles. She leaned around it and frowned at the front of the SUV, wheel tilted awkwardly, dark fluid bleeding on to the snow. She packed the bag full of snow, slamming the door against the blowing snow when she was done. She brushed her clothing off as she climbed into the back of the SUV. "Perfect."

Lincoln was crouched over her suitcase, staring down at the lacy panties she'd packed. His eyes darted up to hers, startled, then back down as he blushed. Olivia could feel the heat from his face when she leaned close and kissed his cheek. "That was for later."

He looked up at her from under his eyelashes. "Was?"

"Is."

She could see the motion of his throat as he swallowed, the pink tip of his tongue that darted out over his lips. She leaned in again because she could, because the tiny curve of his smile was too tempting. His lips were cold against hers - freezing - and she winced at the reminder.

"I'll get things set up - you keep that against your eye, okay?"

Lincoln nodded, then leaned forward to kiss her cheek. "Thanks."

Between their two suitcases, they had a thick pad of sweaters and clothing to lay on. Olivia spread them out while Lincoln settled against the back of the front seat, watching her, huddled in his coat. The thermal blanket crinkled when she unfolded it. Lincoln looked up at her, expression guarded for a moment, then he smiled, wide and open. He shook his head and laughed a little.

"What?"

"I still kind of can't believe this is happening."

"That we slid off the road in the middle of a blizzard?"

No," he waved his hands around, "this. Us. You and Peter and me. I keep thinking I'll wake up or you'll…" He swallowed and looked down at his hands. "Your memories will shift again and you'll forget me."

The sadness in his voice made her chest hurt. "Lincoln." She crawled over to him and leaned in, hands on his cheeks and forehead resting against his. "That's not going to happen. It's not."

They stayed there for long moments, leaning close until the chill of the air made them shiver. Olivia pulled Lincoln's hand away from his face, dropping the bag of snow beside them. She brushed her thumb over his cheek, just below the mottled bruising around his eye.

"How badly does it hurt?"

The shake of his head was barely perceptible. "Not bad."

"How are your glasses?"

"Lost cause, really. The frames are broken. I've got another pair at home." His lips twitched into a smile. "Thanks to Peter."

"Peter?"

"He, uh, has weird ways of flirting."

Olivia grinned at that. "Yeah, I know." She settled beside him and sighed. "Dammit."

"What?"

"I have to pee."

Lincoln laughed. "It was bound to happen sooner or later. Or, well, sooner in your case."

"Shut up."

Olivia sighed and looked out into the blowing snow. "In and out through the front? That way we can try and keep the snow out of the back."

Lincoln nodded. "Sounds good. Um. Visibility is awful. Don't wander off?"

"I don't plan on it." Olivia turned the engine on before she left the SUV, turning the heat up and headlights on.

The wind felt even colder than it had earlier, whipping through her coat and thin pants. She slipped around the tree the SUV had slid into, into the hallow left by the drifting snow. She could see the glow of the headlights though the snow, shape of the car indistinct. She was shivering by the time she was done, teeth chattering.

Lincoln guided her to the driver's seat when she climbed back in and kissed her temple. "Warm up. I'll be right back."

Olivia wrapped the thermal blanket around her shoulders and brushed the snow off her clothing and shoes before she climbed into the back. Lincoln was swearing and shivering when he came back. He rolled the passenger window down a little before turning the engine back off.

"Good idea," Olivia said.

Lincoln thumped his head on the roof as he was climbing into the back. "Ow. Thanks." Lincoln stretched out on the sweaters and held his hand out to her. She stretched out next to him and pulled the blanket over them. 

"We should make sure the exhaust is clear before we run the engine again."

Olivia nodded and shifted closer, resting her head on his shoulder, one leg over his. Lincoln's voice rumbled under her ear when he asked, "Is this when the bow-chicka-wow-wow music starts playing?"

She slapped at his chest.

"Come on, stranded in a snow storm, huddling together for warmth. I'm pretty sure I've seen this movie before."

She tilted her head up and smiled against his neck. "Oh, do tell."

He nuzzled her cheek, cold nose sliding against her skin. "It didn't seem like there was such strong threat of hypothermia, though. Or frostbite in places I'd rather not get frostbite."

"Spoilsport."

Their shivering lessened and Olivia relaxed into the warmth that built slowly. Their coats and clothing were a lumpy barrier between them, but she could feel Lincoln's gloved fingers stroking over her hip. She tightened the arm she had draped over him, then asked, "Have you done this before?"

"No?"

She raised her head so she could look at him. He smiled a little at her questioning expression.

"I've had sex with more than one person, uh, at the same time, I mean, but I've never really had a relationship with more than one person, so I guess 'no' is pretty accurate for what we're doing, I think."

"I thought maybe you and Robert and Jules. I mean, the way you talk about them, I just though maybe you had."

"Yeah, no. I don't know. There was more there than just friendship or partnership. Maybe if things had gone differently we'd have had a chance to find out." He shrugged a little, shoulder shifting under where Olivia's head rested.

"Sorry, I didn't mean…"

"No, it's okay. It still hurts to think about them, but it's alright." He kissed her forehead. "Have you?"

"No. I never even considered it until I, um, experienced the other Fringe team and their… relationship." Olivia ducked her head against Lincoln's chest and closed her eyes against the flood of memories - both sets of memories - of that particular aspect of her alternate's life.

"Olivia?"

"Mmm, sorry, I still get caught off guard by things I haven't really remembered yet." She wrinkled her nose. "That's so weird."

"Yeah, about that, no one mentioned any of this when I signed up for this job."

"Didn't want you to run screaming."

Lincoln tightened his arms around her. "Very glad I didn't."

Olivia smiled. She closed her eyes and listened to the wind howling around them, to the sound of Lincoln's breathing and the steady beat of his heart. "Me too," she said, voice muffled against his chest. The sound of the wind receded to white noise as Olivia drifted off.

It was cold when she woke. Very cold. Lincoln was curled around her, nose buried in her hair. Olivia crawled out from under him, from under the blanket and leaned into the front seat to start the engine. Lincoln was blinking blearily at her when she turned back. He licked his chapped lips and asked, "What time is it?"

She squinted at her watch and frowned at how little time had passed. "Little after one." She cupped her hands over her mouth.

Lincoln sat up, keeping the blanket wrapped around him. He held out one arm and Olivia sidled against him. She yawned, which set off a fit of shivering. Lincoln tightened his arms around her, pulling some of the shirts from their nest up over her legs.

He rested his head on hers, then looked around.

"What?"

"Listen."

Olivia did, then smiled. "The wind's gone." 

He turned and rubbed a gloved hand against the condensation on the window. Outside it was clear, the landscape around them delineated between the stark white of the snow and the black outlines of the trees. Olivia blinked, then scrambled for her phone. Peter answered after only seconds.

"'Livia?"

"Yeah." She switched over to speaker phone. "It's stopped snowing."

"Are you okay?"

"We're okay," Lincoln said.

She snuggled back under Lincoln's arm, let her voice dip low. "We're keeping each other warm."

She grinned as they both sputtered.

Peter recovered first. "I'm deeply disappointed that you started without me. Also deeply aroused."

Lincoln coughed, then said, "Poor Peter, all warm and cozy and alone."

"Whatever," Peter said. "I'm calling bullshit here."

Olivia laughed, tucked her face into the warmth of Lincoln's neck. "Did I mention that this isn't how I imagined this weekend was going to be?"

Lincoln's arms tightened around her and asked, "How does the weather look?"

"Should be clear enough tomorrow to get to you. Think the SUV's drivable if we pull it out?" Peter asked.

"Hmm. No," Olivia said. I got a look at the front earlier - I think the axel's broken or bent. The front wheel's at a weird angle."

"That's alright. I can pull an extra snowmobile when I come for you."

Lincoln grinned and said, "Our knight in fleece-lined parka."

Olivia could hear Peter's snort of laughter before he said, "Usually 'Livia's the one saving my ass. This makes for an unexpected change. Not really welcome, though. Let's not do this again."

"It's me," Lincoln said. "I'm throwing you off your game."

"Worth it." She stretched up to kiss him, their cold lips sliding together, tongue seeking the heat of his mouth. When they broke apart they were breathing heavily - all of them - and she muttered, "Sorry."

Peter's voice was low. "You don't need to apologize. You don't need to stop, either."

Lincoln groaned and said, "While I appreciate the sentiment, there's no way I'm taking off any of my clothing."

Olivia laughed and kissed him again. "Guess we're just going to have to wait."

"I'll head out when it gets light enough to see where I'm going."

"If you bring coffee," Olivia said, "I will be eternally grateful."

"And snow pants," Lincoln added.

"And some of those hand-warmer things."

"Greedy, both of you." Peter laughed. "What's in it for me?"

Olivia grinned at Lincoln and said, "Us."

"Hmm. Well, I suppose that'll have to do."


End file.
